What did I do with calligraphy?
Written by Yang Junliang
I have been writing calligraphy for decades. Now my handwriting, some people say it's calligraphy, some people say it's not calligraphy, I evaluate it myself, and I have a little bit of calligraphy, if it's a rating, I personally think it should be at the elementary school level.
Not a joke, not modest, why say that?
First, I haven't seriously worshipped a teacher, and I haven't received the true biography of a certain master; Second, I did not join the calligraphy association above the provincial level under the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and I did not have a dazzling halo on my head; Third, I have never participated in the competition organized by the calligraphy authority at or above the provincial level, let alone won the grand prize; Fourth, my knowledge of calligraphy theory is very scarce, and I have a headache when I listen to those profound and subtle calligraphy theory classes, and I am not willing to spend time on exploring many things that I don't understand. Another point, and most importantly, is that I am dull and will not chase the wind and waves. Not only are they not interested in some of the so-called "avant-garde", "explorers", and "trendy schools", but they also scoff at them.
To sum up, I am not a calligrapher, I rarely participate in some big exhibitions, and I don't say whether I can get in, and if I do, I don't win an award, because it takes "extra effort". He once participated in a national calligraphy online grand prix, but was defeated because he was unwilling to launch a vote from relatives and friends. The first place winner has millions of points, but the word is miserable, and no one asks for money for nothing. This is purely a deception of people and money, and a desecration of art.
Some people joke that when you don't know the person who writes the calligraphy, or you write like a child, you will become a calligrapher. It's obviously a joke, but it's a real phenomenon. I watched some calligraphy exhibitions, the characters were written horizontally, one lump at a time, some of the paper was full of words and did not recognize a word, in my opinion, it was simply a "ghost painting" smeared with nonsense, but people said that this is calligraphy, and it is a master. Some of the exhibitions and competitions are ranked by these toys, and the orthodox calligraphy has no part at all.
Where is the direction of Chinese calligraphy? I don't know, I'm very blind. Not only me, but also some very accomplished calligraphers have also been blindfolded, some have followed the evil path, and some are still hesitating there. Therefore, I no longer dream of being a calligrapher, settle down, be a "lover", be a good Chinese in a proper manner, write Chinese characters well, and serve the Chinese.
Someone asked me, can your words sell for money? I said I couldn't sell it for money. And asked, what's the use of not being able to sell for money? I said, why is it useless? "Serve the people"! Yes, my calligraphy is really mainly used to serve the people.
One is to participate in the PEN meeting. It is mainly for public welfare, and not much money is given. Sometimes the audience lined up to beg for words, so I forgot the organizer's instructions of "don't exceed two or three, and if you write more, the price will drop", and I kept writing, sometimes I wrote one or twenty in a row, and I was tired and had a sore back and legs. But I was overjoyed to see the seekers leave one by one with my words satisfied.
I once participated in a pen meeting, and I gave a calligraphy performance at a Spring Festival temple fair. There were six people in total, and the other five except me were all real calligraphers. But the strange thing is that my desk is full of people, and their desk is very deserted, and I ask a visitor what is the matter, saying that they don't know what they write, or if my writing is beautiful. I am very proud, thinking that the people still know the goods, and it should be popular to show the people.
The second is to write blessing characters and Spring Festival couplets during the Spring Festival. I have to write a lot of blessing characters and Spring Festival couplets every year. Some are from the community and some units, and some are asked by friends. There are also some units that have approached me to write some huge Spring Festival couplets and paste them on the doors of the units. I have everything I need to do about it. I think that writing Spring Festival couplets and writing blessing characters to bring auspiciousness and joy to the people is a matter of accumulating virtue and doing good, which is particularly valuable and meaningful.
Third, it is necessary to go deep into the grassroots and directly serve the masses. I have been with some calligraphy and painting organizations to enterprises, rural areas, military camps, kindergartens, nursing homes, and some social units many times, and sent calligraphy and paintings to them. I was very happy to see their desire to learn and their desire to get a work, and I did my best to write and explain for them, and the crowd and the organizers were very satisfied every time.
Once, I was invited to the Great Hall of the People to write for the soldiers of the Central Guard Corps. Some of the veterans were about to be discharged, and the regimental leadership decided to ask calligraphers to write some calligraphy works for each of them. Because I also served as a soldier, I have a special affection for soldiers, so I worked extra hard and wrote for several hours in a row, dozens of photos. The fighters were very satisfied, and the leaders were very moved. At noon, a boxed lunch was called from the canteen, and I didn't ask for a penny.
Fourth, to provide calligraphy guidance for the masses. For six or seven years, I have been working as a tutor in the community calligraphy and painting class, and I am not only unpaid, but also often take money to do service guarantee work. I was also hired as an art director by some units, which was also voluntary and unpaid. Although I didn't teach a few decent students, I formed a deep friendship with them. They care about me and help me a lot, and I feel very happy with them.
Fifth, a large number of calligraphy works are given away. Where's it all gone?
——Relatives and friends get married and send auspicious blessings with happy words and calligraphy on red paper, which is particularly eye-catching at the wedding scene;
——Celebrate the birthday of the elderly, write auspicious blessings, and compile a few auspicious blessing poems to write down on red paper, which often brings tears to the eyes of the elderly:
- Friends open restaurants, houses, teahouses, some build parks, run clubs for the elderly, as long as they find me, there is no problem, write! Some of these words are framed and hung on the wall, some are carved on door plaques, and some are carved on boulders in public places. Countless people have watched and taken photos, how meaningful!
——Usually, there are many people who ask me for words, whether it is senior leaders, classmates and comrades-in-arms, or ordinary people, I have everything I need. I asked them to pick and choose from the door, and they took it to their satisfaction (there was a comrade-in-arms who took fifteen at a time). For those out of town, I paid them to express it. Whether it is a gathering of comrades-in-arms, relatives, friends, classmates, etc., I will not be empty-handed, and each person will send a calligraphy work, and they all think it is worth it.
There are many kinds of calligraphy I send out, ranging from three, four, six, and eight feet to buckets, banners, folding fans, bookmarks, and miniature special paper. According to rough statistics, at least more than 100 tickets are given out every year. The content of the book is auspicious and inspirational. I don't know how many words have been written. Many people have sent me pictures of calligraphy hanging at home. There was an old couple who were nearly 80 years old, and I gave them a big red banner with the words "Boundless Happiness". They are framed, hung upright in the bedroom, and look at it every day, feeling full of happiness. When I heard and saw this, I was also full of happiness, and my calligraphy can bring happiness to friends and auspiciousness to thousands of families, how valuable it is!
Sixth, it is widely used in work and propaganda. After retirement, the job position is gone, but there are several more identities one after another: Secretary of the Party Branch of Retired Cadres, Captain of the Pioneer Team of Community Old Party Members, President of the Calligraphy and Painting Institute, President of the Photography Association, Member of the Veteran Cadre Reporter Corps, and Consultant of Chaoyang Old Cadre Magazine. I make the most of my calligraphy expertise and do my best to integrate it into my work. Participated in the jury work of the 10th Community Calligraphy and Painting Competition in Chaoyang District, selected works, wrote comments on the award-winning works, and recommended newspapers and periodicals for publication. In the large-scale activities to commemorate the founding of the party and the founding of the country, as well as traditional festivals such as the Yuanxiao Festival, the Neighborhood Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, the Double Ninth Festival, and the Spring Festival, I have inserted calligraphy performances and gifts, which are very popular with the masses. My calligraphy works can be seen everywhere on the walls of community offices, community cultural centers, and residential corridors.
Since my retirement, I have written and created more than 1,000 calligraphy works reflecting positive energy, such as leadership articles and poems, excellent traditional poems, lyrical and aspiring warning sentences, etc., in conjunction with regular theoretical study, various major activities, important anniversaries, important meetings, major events, etc., and sent them to the party branch secretary group, comrades-in-arms, classmates, friends, communities, and calligraphy and painting groups for exchange and sharing, and presented them to people who like calligraphy and painting for retention. He has published more than 2,000 paintings and calligraphy works (including repeated publications) in many media such as "China Army Daily", "Comrades-in-Arms", "China Social Daily", "People's Daily", "Minsheng China Network", "China Outlook New Media", "Fengrong Spring and Autumn", "Baidu", "Sohu", "NetEase", "Today's Headlines" and so on. In the past ten years, I have participated in the National Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition of the Chinese Social Calligraphy and Painting Institute of the Ministry of Civil Affairs twice, the National Calligraphy Exhibition of the China Maoti Calligraphers Association twice, the Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition of the Veteran Cadres Bureau of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee three times, the online calligraphy and painting exhibition of the Beijing Poetry and Calligraphy and Painting Yin Huachen Art Research Institute twice, the online calligraphy and painting exhibition of the Beijing Lawyer Chaoyang Painting and Calligraphy Institute four times, the National Calligraphy Competition once, and various calligraphy and painting exhibitions in Chaoyang District 25 times. More than 20 works have been awarded. 15 works have been included in 6 special collections of calligraphy and painting.
I use my calligraphy expertise to actively participate in various promotional activities. On the eve of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Calligraphy and Painting Committee of the China Popular Culture Society, the China International Philatelic Network, and the Huaxia Art Center of the China Calligraphy and Painting Newspaper produced a personal calligraphy stamp album for me and distributed it to the whole country through China Post, and was awarded the honorary title of "Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China - Practitioner of Chinese Cultural Rejuvenation". On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, six units, including the Chinese Cultural Society and China Post, compiled 13 of my calligraphy into the "100 Masterpieces of the Past Century" to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. In December 2019, he participated in the Spring Festival Gala of Chinese Calligraphy and Painting on China Education Channel, created couplets on the stage, wrote blessing characters, and broadcast them simultaneously across the country and abroad during the Spring Festival. In 2019 and 2022, 6 calligraphy works were made into award-winning postcards by China Post and distributed nationwide. In the Spring Festival of 2021, a calligraphy work of Spring Festival couplets was accepted by the Spring Festival Gala of China Central Radio and Television. In June 2024, 12 of my calligraphy works were produced by the Beijing Giant Danqing Painting and Calligraphy Institute, China Philatelic Art Network, and the National Rite Artist Stamp Production Organizing Committee into a "large-scale documentary collection stamp album to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the birth of the People's Republic of China" and distributed to the whole country, and was awarded the honorary titles of "National Rite Artist" and "Chinese Art Meritorious Figure".
In recent years, nearly 200 websites, such as "China Art Network", "China Calligraphy Network", "Shanghai Net", "Guizhou Net", "Hebei Hotline", "Beijing Online", "Artron", "NetEase", "Tencent", "China Education", "China Media", "China Express", "China Windows", "China News Headlines", "China Learning", "Hebei News", etc., have successively publicized me with different contents and forms. Many calligraphy works have been collected by Zhu De Painting and Calligraphy Institute, the Central Guard Corps, the troops stationed in Beijing, the creation base of the Chinese Society of Calligraphy and Painting, the Urban Lawyers Association, the Japanese delegation to China, and many enterprises, institutions and individuals.
I love to write and I love to give away. For the elderly, I wrote "peace and health" and "happiness and longevity" to them; For young people, I write to them "work hard" and "strive for excellence"; For children and teenagers, I write to them "excellent in character and learning" and "eager to learn and motivated"; For entrepreneurs, I write to them "integrity wins the world" and "great ambition"; For the soldiers of the People's Liberation Army, I wrote to them "The Great Wall of Steel" and "Defend the Country"; For my peasant friends, I wrote to them "the wind and rain are smooth" and "there is plenty of food and clothing". For all the people who hope that their families will be happy, I will write "Home and Everything" to them, accompanied by four lines of poetry: "The sky and the wind and rain are smooth, the earth and the five grains are abundant, the people are good, and the family and everything is prosperous".
I think that I have never said evil words, done evil things, or done evil deeds in my life, and my whole body is full of positive energy, and my calligraphy exudes auspicious light, full of positive energy. I told my friend that if you hang my words in your house, you will be auspicious and happy. I also said to my friends that no matter how famous a person is, especially a person with bad conduct, as long as his handwriting is ugly, don't ask for it, let alone hang it at home, it will bring you bad luck. Friends are really convinced.
Chairman Mao taught us: "Our literature and art are all for the masses of the people, first of all, for the workers, peasants and soldiers, created for the workers, peasants and soldiers, and used by the workers, peasants and soldiers." "I keep this in mind, be an artist loved by the people, and serve the people with all my heart. Although I love calligraphy and don't make money, I think my practice is very valuable, and the good reputation of the common people can't be bought with money.
In this article, as a veteran Communist Party member, in order to celebrate the 103rd anniversary of the birth of the Communist Party of China, I reported to the party organization on the ideology.
(29 June 2024)
About author:Yang Junliang is a retired military officer and retired cadre of Beijing Municipal Government. Since childhood, he has been fond of literature and art, and has published thousands of literary, calligraphy and photographic works in various media, and published more than 10 political commentaries, poems and photography works independently or in cooperation with others. He is currently a member of the Chinese Academy of Calligraphy and Painting, a consultant of the China Maoti Calligraphers Association, a member of the Calligraphy and Painting Institute of China Education Television's "Ink and Wash Danqing", a contracted artist of the "Ink and Wash Danqing" and "Famous Lectures" columns of China Education Television, a member of the Bangshu Art Research Association of the China Culture and Art Development Promotion Association, a certified artist of the National Artist Publicity System, and the chief art consultant of the China Collection-level Artist Network. He is a member of the Chinese Photographers Association and a member of the Council of the Chinese Musicians Club. The compilation of military textbooks has been awarded the first prize of the army's scientific and technological achievements, and his musical works (lyrics creation) have won the first prize of the army, a national silver medal, and three national gold medals, and he has been awarded the title of "China's outstanding music (lyrics) instructor". He has been awarded the honorary titles of "2021 Outstanding Contributor to the Contemporary Calligraphy and Painting Industry", "Outstanding People's Artist", "Lifetime Achievement Award for Chinese Calligraphy", "Art Ambassador for Hong Kong's Return to China", "Artist with the Most Collectible Works", and "Focus on the Two Sessions, Famous Calligraphers and Painters of Virtue and Art" in 2023. He is the author of the photography books "The Voice of the Book Shadow", "Beauty in the Heart", and "Smart Moment".